Dental Hygiene

2/21/2011

Proper dental hygiene is good for more than just a glowing smile. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

1. Problems in your mouth can signal problems elsewhere in your body.
2. Bacteria in your mouth can cause problems elsewhere in your body.

The mouth can be used a diagnostic tool.The CDC reports that “mouth lesions and other oral conditions may be the first sign of HIV infection and are used to determine the stage of infection.” Osteoporosis may also be indicated in postmenopausal women who show bone loss in the lower jaw.

In addition, saliva “can be used to detect and measure many compounds in the body,” including medications, alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, opiates, other drugs, hormones, and environmental toxins (i.e. metals such as mercury). Saliva can also be used to detect antibodies against such viruses as HIV and hepatitis A and B, as well as antibodies against bacteria such as the one that causes peptic ulcers.

The mouth is a source of infection.Our mouths are home to millions of microorganisms, and in people with healthy immune systems, these organisms are harmless. But if the immune system is weakened by disease or medical treatments, oral bacteria can cause problems, including infective endocarditis and oral complications of cancer treatments. Advise your workers to check with their doctors about the side effects of medications that may reduce saliva flow or change the balance of microorganisms in your mouth.

In addition, recent studies point to links between gum infections and diabetes; heart disease; stroke; and preterm, low-weight births. The research is not conclusive and is ongoing, but it is enough for your workers to make these dental hygiene steps a priority for their overall lifelong health:

• Brush every day with a fluoride toothpaste.
• Floss every day.
• Limit sugary snacks.
• Get enough calcium.
• Don’t smoke or chew tobacco.
• See your dentist regularly.

Also, if you have children, it is important let them know that how import it is to start now towards practicing good dental hygiene. Not only will promoting good dental hygiene help ensure a healthier life for one’s children, but the less time spent taking the kids to the dentist’s office, means less time away from work, thus reducing the number of unproductive days in the work force. According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Health:

For babies:

• Clean teeth with a soft, clean cloth or baby’s toothbrush.
• Avoid putting the baby to bed with a bottle.
• Check teeth regularly for spots or stains.

For children:

• Brush teeth with a fluoride toothpaste.
• Provide healthy foods and limit sweet snacks and drinks.
• Provide low-fat milk and dairy products high in calcium.
• Schedule regular dental checkups.

Senior Citizens: Elderly, even those who have been committed to taking good care of their teeth, the process may become harder with aging: This is even more apparent when sufferingfrom arthritis or other mobility-reducing ailments. The National Institute on Aging offers the following tips to ensure a firm grip on a toothbrush:

• Buy a toothbrush with a larger handle.
• Slide a bicycle grip or foam tube over the toothbrush handle.
• Use a rubber band to attach the toothbrush handle to your hand.

• Tooth decay affects more than one-fourth of U.S. children aged 2 to 5 and half of those aged 12 to 15.
• Twenty percent of all adolescents aged 12 years to 19 years have untreated tooth decay.
• Advanced gum disease affects 4 percent to 12 percent of adults. Half of the cases of severe gum disease in the United States are the result of cigarette smoking. Three times as many smokers have gum disease as people who have never smoked.
• One-fourth of U.S. adults aged 65 and older have lost all of their teeth.
• More than 7,600 people, mostly older Americans, die from oral and pharyngeal cancers each year. This year, about 35,000 new cases of oral cancer will be diagnosed. (All stats from the CDC)

Another flaw in the human character is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance.

Those who believe in telekinetics, raise my hand

Quotes by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (American Author)